Presence of rapidly degrading permafrost plateaus in south-central Alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, Carson Baughman, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Andrew D. Parsekian, Esther Babcock, Eva Stephani, Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Edward E Berg
2016, The Cryosphere (10) 2673-2692
Permafrost presence is determined by a complex interaction of climatic, topographic, and ecological conditions operating over long time scales. In particular, vegetation and organic layer characteristics may act to protect permafrost in regions with a mean annual air temperature (MAAT) above 0 °C. In this study, we document the presence of residual...
Dendritic network models: Improving isoscapes and quantifying influence of landscape and in-stream processes on strontium isotopes in rivers
Sean R. Brennan, Christian E. Torgersen, Jeff P. Hollenbeck, Diego P. Fernandez, Carrie K Jensen, Daniel E. Schindler
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 5043-5051
A critical challenge for the Earth sciences is to trace the transport and flux of matter within and among aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric systems. Robust descriptions of isotopic patterns across space and time, called “isoscapes,” form the basis of a rapidly growing and wide-ranging body of research aimed at quantifying...
A possible transoceanic tsunami directed toward the U.S. west coast from the Semidi segment, Alaska convergent margin
Roland E. von Huene, John J. Miller, Peter Dartnell
2016, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (17) 645-659
The Semidi segment of the Alaska convergent margin appears capable of generating a giant tsunami like the one produced along the nearby Unimak segment in 1946. Reprocessed legacy seismic reflection data and a compilation of multibeam bathymetric surveys reveal structures that could generate such a tsunami. A 200 km long...
A review of the relationships between drought and forest fire in the United States
Jeremy S. Littell, David L. Peterson, Karin L. Riley, Yongquiang Liu, Charles H. Luce
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 2353-2369
The historical and pre-settlement relationships between drought and wildfire are well documented in North America, with forest fire occurrence and area clearly increasing in response to drought. There is also evidence that drought interacts with other controls (forest productivity, topography, fire weather, management activities) to affect fire intensity, severity, extent,...
Effects of geolocators on hatching success, return rates, breeding movements, and change in body mass in 16 species of Arctic-breeding shorebirds
Emily Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, José A. Alves, Phil F. Battley, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joel Bety, Mary Anne Bishop, Megan Boldenow, Loic Bollache, Bruce Casler, Maureen Christie, Jonathan T. Coleman, Jesse R. Conklin, Willow B. English, H. River Gates, Olivier Gilg, Marie-Andree Giroux, Ken Gosbell, Chris J. Hassell, Jim Helmericks, Andrew C. Johnson, Borgny Katrinardottir, Kari Koivula, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-Francois Lamarre, Johannes Lang, David B. Lank, Nicolas Lecomte, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Vanessa Loverti, Laura McKinnon, Clive Minton, David S. Mizrahi, Erica Nol, Veli-Matti Pakanen, Johanna Perz, Ron Porter, Jennie Rausch, Jeroen Reneerkens, Nelli Ronka, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, Benoit Sittler, Paul A. Smith, Kristine M. Sowl, Audrey Taylor, David H. Ward, Stephen Yezerinac, Brett K. Sandercock
2016, Movement Ecology (4)
Background Geolocators are useful for tracking movements of long-distance migrants, but potential negative effects on birds have not been well studied. We tested for effects of geolocators (0.8–2.0 g total, representing 0.1–3.9 % of mean body mass) on 16 species of migratory shorebirds, including five species with 2–4...
Novel insights from NMR spectroscopy into seasonal changes in the composition of dissolved organic matter exported to the Bering Sea by the Yukon River
Xiaoyan Cao, George R. Aiken, Robert G. M. Spencer, Kenna D. Butler, Jingdong Mao, Klaus Schmidt-Rohr
2016, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (181) 72-88
Seasonal (spring freshet, summer–autumn, and winter) variability in the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the Yukon River was determined using advanced one- and two-dimensional (2D) solid-state NMR spectroscopy, coupled with isotopic measurements and UV–visible spectroscopy. Analyses were performed on two major DOM fractions, the hydrophobic organic acid...
Summary of the GK15 ground‐motion prediction equation for horizontal PGA and 5% damped PSA from shallow crustal continental earthquakes
Vladimir; Graizer, Erol Kalkan
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 687-707
We present a revised ground‐motion prediction equation (GMPE) for computing medians and standard deviations of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and 5% damped pseudospectral acceleration (PSA) response ordinates of the horizontal component of randomly oriented ground motions to be used for seismic‐hazard analyses and engineering applications. This GMPE is derived from...
Assessing the role of seabirds in the ecology of influenza A viruses
Andrew S. Lang, Camille Lebarbenchon, Andrew M. Ramey, Gregory J. Robertson, Jonas Waldenstrom, Michelle Wille
2016, Avian Diseases (60) 378-386
Wild waterbirds, specifically waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds, are recognized as the primordial reservoir of influenza A viruses (IAVs). However, the role of seabirds, an abundant, diverse, and globally distributed group of birds, in the perpetuation and transmission of IAVs is less clear. Here we summarize published and publicly available data...
Demographic outcomes of diverse migration strategies assessed in a metapopulation of tundra swans
Craig R. Ely, Brandt W. Meixell
2016, Movement Ecology (4)
Background Migration is a prominent aspect of the life history of many avian species, but the demographic consequences of variable migration strategies have only infrequently been investigated, and rarely when using modern technological and analytical methods for assessing survival, movement patterns, and long-term productivity in the context of life history theory....
Geologic map of the Valdez D-1 and D-2 quadrangles (Mount Wrangell Volcano), Alaska
D.H. Richter, R. G. McGimsey, Keith A. Labay, M. A. Lanphere, R. B. Moore, C.J. Nye, D. S. Rosenkrans, G. R. Winkler
2016, Scientific Investigations Map 3351
Geologic Note Mount Wrangell (elev. 4,317 m) is the youngest and only active volcano in the Oligocene to Holocene-aged Wrangell volcanic field that extends from beyond the Alaska-Yukon border northwest through the Wrangell Mountains to the Copper River Basin. The volcano is a very large (900 km3) broad shield containing an...
The structure of genetic diversity in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) along the North Pacific and Bering Sea coasts of Alaska
Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage, Jolene R. Rearick, Megan C. Fowler, Raquel Muñiz-Salazar, Bethany Baibak, Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, Alehandro Cabello-Pasini, David H. Ward
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Eelgrass (Zostera marina) populations occupying coastal waters of Alaska are separated by a peninsula and island archipelago into two Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). From populations in both LMEs, we characterize genetic diversity, population structure, and polarity in gene flow using nuclear microsatellite fragment and chloroplast and nuclear sequence data. An...
Identification and distribution of the Olympic Shrew (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), Sorex rohweri Rausch et al., 2007 in Oregon and Washington, based on USNM specimens
Neal Woodman, Robert D. Fisher
2016, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (129) 84-102
Review of specimens of long-tailed shrews (Mammalia, Soricidae, Sorex) from the northwestern United States in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Washington, DC, has revealed the presence of the Olympic Shrew, Sorex rohweri Rausch et al., 2007, in the Coastal Range west of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This...
Range expansion of moose in arctic Alaska linked to warming and increased shrub habitat
Ken D. Tape, David D. Gustine, Roger W. Reuss, Layne G. Adams, Jason A. Clark
2016, PLoS ONE (11) e0152636
Twentieth century warming has increased vegetation productivity and shrub cover across northern tundra and treeline regions, but effects on terrestrial wildlife have not been demonstrated on a comparable scale. During this period, Alaskan moose (Alces alces gigas) extended their range from the boreal forest into tundra riparian shrub habitat; similar...
Geochemical evidence for seasonal controls on the transportation of Holocene loess, Matanuska Valley, southern Alaska, USA
Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, Gary L. Skipp, John McGeehin
2016, Aeolian Research (21) 61-73
Loess is a widespread Quaternary deposit in Alaska and loess accretion occurs today in some regions, such as the Matanuska Valley. The source of loess in the Matanuska Valley has been debated for more than seven decades, with the Knik River and the Matanuska River, both to the east, being...
Hg concentrations in fish from coastal waters of California and Western North America
Jay Davis, John Ross, Shira Bezalel, Lawrence Sim, Autumn Bonnema, Gary Ichikawa, Wes Heim, Kenneth C Schiff, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Joshua T. Ackerman
2016, Science of the Total Environment (568) 1146-1156
The State of California conducted an extensive and systematic survey of mercury (Hg) in fish from the California coast in 2009 and 2010. The California survey sampled 3483 fish representing 46 species at 68 locations, and demonstrated that methylHg in fish presents a widespread exposure risk to fish consumers. Most...
Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2014
Manuel Nathenson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1060
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Natural Hazards activity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaiʻi...
Organic matter quantity and source affects microbial community structure and function following volcanic eruption on Kasatochi Island, Alaska
Lydia H. Zeglin, Bronwen Wang, Christopher F. Waythomas, Frederick Rainey, Sandra L. Talbot
2016, Environmental Microbiology (18) 146-158
In August 2008, Kasatochi volcano erupted and buried a small island in pyroclastic deposits and fine ash; since then, microbes, plants and birds have begun to re-colonize the initially sterile surface. Five years post-eruption, bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) copy numbers and extracellular enzyme activity...
Avian malaria in a boreal resident species: long-term temporal variability, and increased prevalence in birds with avian keratin disorder
Laura C. Wilkinson, Colleen M. Handel, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Claire Loiseau, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal
2016, International Journal for Parasitology (16) 281-290
The prevalence of vector-borne parasitic diseases is widely influenced by biological and ecological factors. Environmental conditions such as temperature and precipitation can have a marked effect on haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium spp.) that cause malaria and those that cause other malaria-like diseases in birds. However, there have been few long-term studies monitoring...
Volcano deformation source parameters estimated from InSAR: Sensitivities to uncertainties in seismic tomography
Timothy Masterlark, Theodore Donovan, Kurt L. Feigl, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber, Sui Tung
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 3002-3016
The eruption cycle of a volcano is controlled in part by the upward migration of magma. The characteristics of the magma flux produce a deformation signature at the Earth's surface. Inverse analyses use geodetic data to estimate strategic controlling parameters that describe the position and pressurization of a magma chamber...
Changing exhumation patterns during Cenozoic growth and glaciation of the Alaska Range: Insights from detrital thermochronology and geochronology
Richard O. Lease, Peter J. Haeussler, Paul O'Sullivan
2016, Tectonics (35) 934-955
Cenozoic growth of the Alaska Range created the highest topography in North America, but the space-time pattern and drivers of exhumation are poorly constrained. We analyzed U/Pb and fission-track double dates of detrital zircon and apatite grains from 12 catchments that span a 450 km length of the Alaska Range to...
Isotopic incorporation and the effects of fasting and dietary lipid content on isotopic discrimination in large carnivorous mammals
Karyn D. Rode, Craig A. Stricker, Joy Erlenbach, Charles T. Robbins, Seth Cherry, Seth D. Newsome, Amy Cutting, Shannon Jensen, Gordon Stenhouse, Matt Brooks, Amy Hash, Nicole Nicassio
2016, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (89) 182-197
There has been considerable emphasis on understanding isotopic discrimination for diet estimation in omnivores. However, discrimination may differ for carnivores, particularly species that consume lipid-rich diets. Here, we examined the potential implications of several factors when using stable isotopes to estimate the diets of bears, which can consume lipid-rich diets...
Temporal, geographic, and host distribution of avian paramyxovirus 1 (Newcastle disease virus)
Kiril M. Dimitrov, Andrew M. Ramey, Xueting Qiu, Justin Bahl, Claudio L. Afonso
2016, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (39) 22-34
Newcastle disease is caused by virulent forms of avian paramyxovirus of serotype 1 (APMV-1) and has global economic importance. The disease reached panzootic proportions within two decades after first being identified in 1926 in the United Kingdom and Indonesia and still remains endemic in many countries across the world. Here...
Energetic costs of mange in wolves estimated from infrared thermography
Paul C. Cross, Emily S. Almberg, Catherine G Haase, Peter J. Hudson, Shane K Maloney, Matthew C Metz, Adam J Munn, Paul Nugent, Olivier Putzeys, Daniel R. Stahler, Anya C Stewart, Doug W. Smith
2016, Ecology (97) 1938-1948
Parasites, by definition, extract energy from their hosts and thus affect trophic and food web dynamics even when the parasite may have limited effects on host population size. We studied the energetic costs of mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) in wolves (Canis lupus) using thermal cameras to estimate heat losses associated with...
High-resolution records detect human-caused changes to the boreal forest wildfire regime in interior Alaska
Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Daniel H. Mann, Benjamin M. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller, Bruce P. Finney
2016, The Holocene (26) 1064-1074
Stand-replacing wildfires are a keystone disturbance in the boreal forest, and they are becoming more common as the climate warms. Paleo-fire archives from the wildland–urban interface can quantify the prehistoric fire regime and assess how both human land-use and climate change impact ecosystem dynamics. Here, we use a combination of...
Integrating subsistence practice and species distribution modeling: assessing invasive elodea’s potential impact on Native Alaskan subsistence of Chinook salmon and whitefish
Matthew Luizza, Paul Evangelista, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Amanda M. West, Heather Stewart
2016, Environmental Management (58) 144-163
Alaska has one of the most rapidly changing climates on earth and is experiencing an accelerated rate of human disturbance, including resource extraction and transportation infrastructure development. Combined, these factors increase the state’s vulnerability to biological invasion, which can have acute negative impacts on ecological integrity and subsistence practices. Of...
